Albus Potter and the Year of the Eagle
by wonderworks0421
Summary: Albus Potter has always had standards he was expected to live up to. Join him and his friends on their journey through their first year at Hogwarts. Full summary inside.
1. Summary

Albus Potter has always had certain standards to live up to. Son of two of the greatest war heroes of their generation, brother to the thriving Hogwarts student with a bright mind a thirst for trouble. But something about him has always seemed different, though he could never pinpoint it.

When Albus Potter and his faithful cousin, Rose Weasley, meet fellow first year Scorpius Malfoy on the train to Hogwarts, they never question why they both were so keen on him so quickly. Everything just seemed to have clicked. The three are fast friends and are Sorted together.

But Hogwarts has never settled, Albus' father can attest to that. The castle always gives those who need it an opportunity to prove themselves, and that is just what Albus, Rose and Scorpius must do. Because trouble never seems to leave Hogwarts, and the three must find a way to make it through their first year without killing themselves...or worse, being expelled.


	2. The Hogwarts Express

Albus Severus Potter smiled and waved to his family and friends standing on the platform as he boarded the train, the engine running loudly, preparing to leave the station. King's Cross was buzzing that morning due to the crowds of witches and wizards all scurrying to make it to the platform on time.

His brother, James, had left him early on, accompanied by fellow second year, Fred Weasley. Albus shook his head, they were going to be so much trouble for him.

Albus' main concern was first, finding Rose Weasley (Fred's cousin and also Albus' best friend. He never went anywhere without her) and second, figuring out how to convince the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor.

It had always been a huge debate whether or not there was a Potter legacy to live up to. Unlike the Weasleys, who's brethren were always Sorted into Gryffindor, the Potters hadn't had enough generations for their to be a policy of any sort in place.

Since their creation, the Weasleys were known for overriding Gryffindor with their red hair and hand-me-down robes, spilling potions and messing up spells, as well as pulling pranks on their fellow brave lions. Potter were more subdued, but still carried the courage gene nonetheless.

It went without saying that James was Sorted into Gryffindor, he was about as much his father as he could be. And Lily rivaled her mother's need to be mischievous and nosy, always finding ways to meddle in things that she didn't belong in. Her house would no doubt be Gryffindor, her personality was so close to Fred's that there was no way she wouldn't be.

Albus, on the other hand, was somewhere lost in the middle. He wasn't quite sure where he stood or why he stood there, only that he did and that he couldn't change it if he tried.

Sometimes he wondered if he even belonged in any house, or if he was so dull, that he would end up in something like Hufflepuff. This would, of course, bring a smack to the back of his head and a, "oh, honestly, Albus, Hufflepuff is great in so many things, get your head out of your arse," from his mother.

Ginny Potter was nothing if not fiery and passionate.

Albus shook his head and his thoughts cleared, his attention slowly focusing on where to look if he wanted to find Rose, and why the hell was she nowhere to be found in the first place? Didn't they agree on a meeting place-

Albus groaned. The meeting place was the back compartment of the second section of the train. He grabbed his trunk by its handle and dragged it down the corridors, praying that he didn't knock into anyone and that the compartment just out of his reach sang occupied by any strangers.

He had been so late on remembering, that he wouldn't have been surprised if Rose was forced to give up the company of peace and quiet to a few strange, rowdy students in need of a place to sit.

Albus got the compartment and sighed in relief, it was practically empty. He tugged the door open and slid in, his trunk sliding under the booth he went to sit on.

"Rosie, I'm sorry I'm late, for the life of me I couldn't remember where we planned on meeting," Albus said, but his potential tirade was cut short as he caught sight of Rose giving him a sheepish and almost ashamed look.

Albus then took the time to look around the rest of the compartment and was surprised to see that the bench he was planning on lounging on had already been occupied by another person. His pale skin and hair were his first notable traits, the third and fourth being his tightly clenched hands and rough scowl on his lips.

"That's okay, Al. We all forget things every once and a while. This is Scorpius, by the way," Rose replied, her cheeks tinged slightly pink.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" Albus asked, the name sounding astoundingly familiar. Rose nodded and Albus looked over to the boy again.

He resembled that of an albino, in Albus' opinion, though he would never say such a thing out loud. His mother prided in the fact that he had such magnificent manners. Scorpius had thin blonde hair that seemed to practically blend in with his small pale head. His hair wasn't slicked back, but rather loose and barely touched by product, falling over his forehead lightly, and cropped short in the back. Scorpius had already dawned his Hogwarts robes, but didn't have a tie on yet, Albus assumed that that meant that he was a first year as well.

"Yes, Albus. Scorpius Malfoy, the one and only," Rose looked amused and a tad annoyed, and Albus realized he was being rude. He quickly straightened himself out and plopped rather ungracefully onto the bench beside Scorpius, not too close to be crowding him, but not too far away to give off the vibe that he didn't want to sit next to the boy.

Albus stuck his hand out and smiled widely. "It's nice to meet you, Scorpius. I'm Albus Potter."

Scorpius curled his lip over his teeth in disgust and sneered, "I know that. It's not like I haven't seen you in the bloody papers a million times. You Potters are always being followed around, you know."

The black haired boy chuckled and retracted his hand, realizing Scorpius wasn't going to shake it. "Yeah, I know. Gets a bit annoying after a few years of it to be honest." Albus looked back over at Rose and saw that she too was smiling.

"Care to explain why we have a stranger in our pre-decided compartment, Rosie?"

Rose leaned forward slightly and offered Scorpius a polite smile. He returned it with another sneer. Seemingly unfazed by this, Rose answered Albus.

"Yes, I was waiting for you, and since you were taking so bloody long I decided to do some people watching. Turns out, we weren't the only two who decided the back compartments in the second section were going to be much quieter than the rest. Scorpius here was sitting alone in the compartment across from ours. So I got up and walked across the hall to his compartment and opened the door. He was a bit confused as to why he had company, and I decided that, since he seemed so lonely, he ought to have some interesting company on his first train ride to Hogwarts."

Albus smirked at Rose, jabs at his cousin already on the tip of his tongue. "You of all people should know that some people just like to sit by themselves and enjoy their own company once and a while. You can go back to that compartment if you'd like, Scorpius."

Scorpius jerked, as if suddenly tuning into the conversation, and turned his head towards his former compartment longingly. He sighed then turned his attention back to the other two first years.

"I would," he said, "but that compartment's full. Plus you two make decent company. I haven't got any friends to enjoy my first train ride to Hogwarts with anyways."

Albus raised an eyebrow, but Rose beat him to it. "You haven't got friends?" She asked. "Who do you spend all your time with, then?"

It was Scorpius' turn as his thin blonde eyebrow shot above his hair. "Mum, mostly. Dad's too busy with work and things. Being an antisocial pureblood child is a bit difficult, especially when your parents have parties inviting potential first year Slytherin children along with their parents."

Rose smirked at Scorpius. "Must be boring to be a pureblood, then."

"Just a bit," Scorpius replied seriously, then cracked what Albus would say was the beginning of a small smile. Albus did smile at that. It seemed that Hogwarts would not be so bad. He had the beginnings of a new friendship, an old one becoming stronger, and a magical castle with his fate and future sealed into only a few miles ahead.


	3. The Black Lake

The three eleven year olds all gasped when they saw Hogwarts in all of its glory. Of course, they had seen pictures of Hogwarts and heard stories, but you never really knew its beauty until you saw it up close in personal.

Albus smiled when he saw Hagrid standing on the platform awaiting the students. He had heard stories of Hagrid as well, from his father and James, but had never met the tall burly man in real life. He wondered how Hagrid would react to another Potter boy, just one year after the first one he oversaw to Hogwarts.

The three collected their things and exited their compartment, slowly making their way off the train. Albus tried to keep his head down and avoid running into other people, claustrophobia wasn't something he took pride in. It just happened.

Scorpius and Rose followed close behind him, and together the three jumped off the train, scurrying over to where the other first years had gathered under Hagrid's order.

"Firs' years this 'ay! Firs' years o'er 'ere!" Hagrid called and Albus quickened his pace. He couldn't wait to meet Hagrid.

"Hello!" Albus chirped upon stopping in front of the half-giant.

Hagrid gave him a once-over and smiled, large tears brewing in his eyes. "Merlin, that 'Arry's gone and had another child! I'd recognize those eyes anywhere! Who migh' you be, sir?"

Albus stuck out his hand and giggled when Hagrid encompassed it with his rather large hand. "I'm Albus, sir. James has told me all sorts of stories about you!"

Hagrid shook his head, a tears the size of a bite Albus would take out of a sandwich rolling down his cheek. "Ole James always be tellin' stories ter people."

Scorpius and Rose finally caught up to Albus, and Hagrid looked them over as well.

"Well, well," Hagrid said, "a Malfoy me a Weasley gettin' along! 'As the worl' stopped turnin' yet?" The large man offered a smirk to the two children.

Albus looked over at his friends. Scorpius had dawned his scowl, and Rose was smiling brightly. She obviously remembered the stories James and Fred had told them when they got home for the summer. Scorpius, however, had not heard any stories. Or maybe he had, Albus thought, he didn't quite know what Scorpius heard stories about from his father, or if he heard any at all. The thought made Albus scowl as well, and Hagrid chuckled.

"Yer don' hafta introduce yourselves. I read 'bout yer in the paper. You three belong to some o' the mos' talked 'bout families in the wizard worl'," Hagrid said, making Albus and Rose laugh loudly. Scorpius just offered a miniscule.

"Well, if this is everybody, I think we ought ter be goin' to the boats, don' yer think?"

The first years followed Hagrid out to the lake, where sets of boats were lying on the water's edge. The boats could fit three people, so Albus, Scorpius and Rose occupied their own boat. The Black Lake's water was chilly when Albus dipped a finger into it, and he turned back around to face his friends.

"Be careful of the Black Lake, Potter," Scorpius said teasingly, a playful smirk on his face, "there's a large squid in there. It's favorite snack is young and gullible kids."

Albus looked to Rose, his face horrified. Scorpius laughed evilly and Rose simply shook her head.

"Is he lying, Rosie?"

"Only a little bit," Rose responded, "there is a squid in the Lake, but it doesn't eat people, or children for that matter. Remember what Uncle Dennis told us? During his first year here, he fell into the Lake and the squid rescued him!"

Albus' brain switched on, and he remembered the story Dennis Creevey, whom they called their uncle and sometimes visited them over the holidays and during family events, told about his first year at Hogwarts. Dennis had had many embarrassing stories of himself over the years, and so he shared them with the kids, who loved hearing about his obvious and sometimes terrifying misfortunes.

"Well I highly doubt a beast like that would rescue a child," Scorpius sneered, "but you can choose to believe it or not."

Albus, who wasn't sure whether Scorpius was still joking or not, decided not to respond to this statement. Instead, he looked back across the Lake.

Hogwarts was a truly marvelous school. It was grand and large, it's style a nice Victorian, the many castles all going together. The beige stones and bricks that made up the structure sat, beautifully simple, against the elegant night sky. And the sky was beautiful. Albus couldn't help but notice that the sky was already a dark navy color, the stars bright and white against the sky, contrasting heavily and wonderfully.

"We're almos' 'ere!" Albus heard Hagrid's yell across the Lake, exemplified by his magic pink umbrella.

"I'm a little nervous," Rose whispered, a blush already settling onto her cheeks as she looked to Scorpius, who she thought for sure was going to insult her for it. Instead Scorpius gulped, and Albus shook his head in surprise.

"I am as well, actually," Scorpius said a quietly, his head tilted downwards. Albus raised an eyebrow. Scorpius continued, "if you tell anyone this, I'll deny it in a heartbeat, but I'm afraid of being Sorted."

Albus sighed heavily, relating to Scorpius' problem. "Me too. I'm worried that I don't belong in any of the houses. I'm afraid that I won't fit in here."

Considering that it was the first time hearing the information, Rose took the revelation quite well. "I'm quite surprised that's what you're both worrying yourselves over. I never thought either of you'd be the type to shy away from the chance to find out who you are, and I've only just met you, Scorpius."

"It's not in one's best interest to always hope for the best," was Scorpius' muttered reply.

Rose chuckled and shook her head, but Albus beat her with his words. "Even still, Rosie. Who knows which house any of us will be Sorted into? I could be put in bloody Slytherin for all I know."

Scorpius coughed. "Careful there, that's my family's house."

"And you think you won't be Sorted into it?" Rose asked, shimmering with curiosity. Albus couldn't help but feel the same, he had just met Scorpius and was already dying to know more. The boy just reeked with mystery.

"I know I won't," Scorpius said, "the only question is which one I'll be placed in instead."

Rose shook her head, eyes shining with sympathy. "I'm in a similar boat actually. I know for a fact that I won't be in Gryffindor, but I've no idea where I'd be Sorted to replace that."

"Gryffindor and Slytherin don't seem to be the houses that fit any of us," Albus added to the discussion, his words sounding like an afterthought following all of the confessions, but not forgotten in the midst of conversation. "We'll just have to wait and see."

The other two children nodded their agreements. And so they waited.


	4. The Sorting Hat

The first years scurried into the Great Hall, they're nerves too high strung for any of them to pay attention to the glory that was the room. Albus held his head low, ignoring the jeers he received from the Gryffindors as he passed by James and Fred's section of the table, all of the Weasley red heads joining in on the fun.

"Just ignore them," pleaded Rose as she herself let the comments from her cousins go in through one ear and out the other. Scorpius eyed the two, but said nothing.

Headmistress McGonagall stood at the center of the room, next to a stool which had a rusty hat sitting upon it; the Sorting Hat.

Albus gulped and look away from the stool, his mind wandering as it rehashed his thoughts of being misplaced and not belonging anywhere. He only hoped that Scorpius was Sorted into a good house, then he could ask the hat to follow in his lead.

Rose and Scorpius stood on either side of Albus, and all three children looked sick with worry. Come to think of it, all of the first years looked positively green, Albus realized as he looked around the group to the other eleven year olds. The thought eased his worry slightly, but not enough.

Albus hadn't even realized the Sorting had started until the group began to thin out considerably and McGonagall called a name.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Albus looked to his friend and gave him a shy smile as Scorpius gulped and looked at Albus and Rose. Rose offered a thumbs up, and Albus gave him a slight pat on the back as Scorpius made his way up the stairs.

Scorpius took his seat on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head, all the while the entire house of Slytherin looked smug, as if it was coming knowledge that the new Malfoy child would be Sorted with them.

"Ah, another Malfoy," rumbled the hat and Scorpius jumped slightly, but remained stoic for the most part. "Unlike your father and his father before him, you seem to garner a sympathy for those in the minorities. Your heart and mind overtake your malicious instincts, though those are very prominent. No doubt that your father taught you what it means to be a Slytherin man. Still, I do not see you thriving there. Your cleverness and ability to think for yourself becomes you. So I shall say, Ravenclaw!"

Scorpius opened his eyes to a stunned silence. Albus smiled as his friend made his way down the stairs and sat on the very end of the table, far away from his fellow housemates.

A few more names were called before it was Albus' turn.

"Potter, Albus!"

Murmurs and whispers made their way across the hall as Albus walked towards the stool. He sat on it gingerly and waited for the hat to be placed upon his head.

Once it had been, Albus began chanting in his brain. He knew where he belonged.

"I am overwhelmed by your loyalty to a friend you have just met. I am not sure he feels the same compassion for you as you do him. However, I am not one to go against a wizard's wishes. Ravenclaw!"

Once again, Albus heard nothing but his own footsteps as he sat beside Scorpius at the Ravenclaw table. Slowly, the Ravenclaws began to cheer and laugh as they applauded a new addition to their house. It wasn't everyday that a Potter was Sorted into something other than Gryffindor.

Albus and Scorpius were on the edge of their seats as Rose was called.

"Weasley, Rose!"

Albus watched as Rose bit her lip, the hat immediately dawning a frown on his face as he looked through Rose's mind.

"Yet another Weasley, and yet this time, I am unsure of where to put you. Normally it would be quite obvious where a Weasley belongs, but I think you better be in...Ravenclaw!"

Albus and Scorpius clapped loudly as Rose smiled and skipped to the Ravenclaw table, where their housemates greeted her with open arms.

Albus looked to the Gryffindor table, not at all surprised as he took in James' shocked expression. The rest of the Weasley cousins looked between Albus, Rose and Scorpius with disdain and almost disgust for their relatives. Albus knew the reaction to him befriending a Death Eater's son wasn't going to be the greatest, but that was nothing like he expected.

McGonagall gathered everyone's attention as she took her place at the head of the staff table. "Now that the Sorting is complete, let the feast begin!"

Food appeared magically on the tables, dishes and plates filling up the surface. Albus, Rose and Scorpius immediately dug in, happy to get something in their stomachs to settle them after all of the churning and worrying during the Sorting.

Albus felt a hand on each of his shoulders and looked around, then finally turned around, to find Lorcan and Lysander Scamander standing on either side of him, wearing identical tentative smiles. Albus had met Luna Lovegood's twin boys before, as she and her husband, Rolf Scamander had come over to the Burrow a few times throughout their lives. Albus knew Rose would recognize them as well, but he noticed Scorpius tensing up at the two new faces he saw. He must have thought they were a threat. He shot Scorpius a reassuring smile before turning back to the twins.

"Hullo, Lorcan, Lysander," Albus greeted politely. Lorcan and Lysander were second year Ravenclaws and had enough brains between the two of them to rival the entire house of Gryffindor. Lorcan had short, cropped dirty blonde hair that had little length, as well as sparkling blue eyes to match his mother's. Lysander, on the other hand, has grown out his dirty blonde hair to just past his ears, as a few strands were tucked behind them. Albus suspected the reason for the different hairstyles was in order to tell the two apart, because other than their hair, the boys looked eerily alike. They both had sky blue eyes, frighteningly pale skin, much like Scorpius', and slim builds, neither with any sort of muscles, all skin and bones.

Lysander spoke up first, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his left ear. "We just wanted to congratulate you and Rose for being Sorted into Ravenclaw. It's a bigger honor than most would say, but we think that you two will do well here, and we hope that we can become closer friends."

It did not go unnoticed by Albus that Scorpius was left out of the speech entirely, despite the fact that he was sitting right next to Albus and had his full attention set on the twins as well.

"Thanks, Lysander. I think the three of us will take you up on that offer," said Albus, his tone pleasant as he subtly reminded Lysander that he had two friends in Ravenclaw, not just Rose.

Lysander looked between the three first years, brow furrowed, as if he had just realized that Scorpius was sitting there, and that the fact that he was was something of a problem. "Don't mention it," he said slowly, eyes trailing over a opus suspiciously.

Lorcan spoke up then, "well, we're going back to our friends to enjoy the feast, you all are welcome to join us if you'd like to."

Albus nodded, and the twins walked away. He turned back to Rose and Scorpius, who were exchanging unusual glances. "What?" Albus asked, hating not being in the know.

"They didn't even acknowledge Scorpius," hissed Rose, her cheeks flushing slightly in anger, "I mean the nerve of them. You sat there and gave them clues, and they still didn't take the bait."

"Rose, it's not like I can-"

"Why do you associate with people like them?" Scorpius suddenly asked, and Albus felt ashamed for leaving him out of the conversation, despite the fact that the conversation was about him. He was no better than Lysander, Albus thought.

Rose beat him to answering the question. "How do you mean?"

"I only meant that you two have broken every single rule that your households must set up concerning Malfoy friendships, and you did it without a second glance. But you are still befriending people who do the exact opposite? I just don't understand I guess."

Rose and Albus looked at each other, similar flushes on their faces. Truth be told, Albus didn't quite know why he was friends with the likes of Lorcan and Lysander. He knew why Rose was, they were intelligent and could keep up with her in conversation, unlike many of her cousins. Albus, however, was not as intelligent as the three. He could have easily, at any moment in time, leave the twins alone and they probably wouldn't have even realized someone was missing quick enough to look up from their books, only to have it be too late. In truth, Albus realized that he didn't need the friendships of people like the Scamander twins. But he knew why Rose needed it, and his favorite cousin always came first to him.

"Well they are quite intelligent outside of the whole prejudice thing. Honestly, Scorpius, you can't expect everyone to warm up to you that fast. Rose and I are rare exceptions to the rules, but it's going to take everyone else some time to get used to things. Give them time," replied Albus, noticing the grateful glance he got from Rose.

Scorpius frowned. "I am giving them time," said the boy, "I am open to giving them all plenty of time. I was just asking a question, no need to get defensive."

"Hey," Albus scowled, noticing a change in Scorpius' demeanor, "I was just answering your question, no need to get defensive about it."

Before the two could dig themselves into a further hole, or Rose could interrupt them before they did anything of the sort, McGonagall stood and announced:

"All students, please proceed to your dormitories. First years, you will be lead by your prefects. I hope everyone enjoyed the feast, and everyone should remember to get a wonderful night's sleep, as classes start tomorrow!"

A shuffle of students clamored from the Great Hall, exiting in every direction, different students going to different houses. A Ravenclaw prefect, obviously assigned the chore of taking the first years to their dormitories, called out,

"Ravenclaw first years, follow me to your house dormitories!"

Albus, Rose and Scorpius all walked towards the prefect's direction, noticing the considerably small crowd of first years gathered around him. Albus realized that not a lot of students must have been Sorted into Ravenclaw that year.

"My name is Russell Albert and I am a Ravenclaw prefect. I will be showing you to your dorms, if you'll follow me," said the teenage boy.

The first years followed Russell eagerly, and Albus wondered if, perhaps this was where he belonged.


	5. The Stained Glass Window

Russell led them down a long hallway, lit with dim lanterns hanging on the walls inside small, metal, cage-like constructions that had the Hogwarts crest carved onto them. Albus wondered briefly if the prefect was lost, but quickly changed his mind when he spotted a large black door with an eagle design on it.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw common room," Russell announced, and the first years shuffled their feet nervously and excitedly all at once.

Albus gulped and followed the rest of the group inside.

Rose, Scorpius and Albus walked around the room to get a look around. The decor was mostly blue, as Albus had guessed it would be, but it covered the room magnificently. There weren't too many windows, but they were large and built like those in a church, with beautiful stained glass in them.

"What are the windows' stories?" Scorpius asked aloud, noticing them as well. Albus nodded, running his hands over a picture. A young boy was walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, his Hogwarts cloak in hand, his footprints trailing all the way from the castle entrance. Albus smiled and removed his hand.

"They tell stories of those in Ravenclaw's history and their adventures. Only the historical ones, as the stained glass was added to the room's decor ages ago," Russell explained, and Scorpius nodded, moving on to look at another window.

There were three main hearths in this common room, as opposed to the one that James had told Albus about. No one was in the common room yet, as the first years got to explore first before everyone else returned to their dormitories. The hearths were all accompanied by blue velvet furniture, couches, a few love seats, as well as tables and chairs were carefully placed around the room, all blue or with blue decorations atop them. The ceiling was high, and there were several sets of staircases leading in different directions.

Albus, Rose and Scorpius met in the middle of the common room as Russell gathered them around again to give further instructions, and the rest of the first years ceased their wondering to do the same.

"The dormitories are organized in a bit more complicated fashion, but I am sure everyone will get the hang of things eventually. Boys, your dormitory may seem a tad cramped, as there are only six of you that were Sorted into this house this year. All six of you will be sharing a room, and I will direct you to it once I am done giving directions. Girls, since there are a few more of you, there are two dormitory rooms that have been given to you. I will direct you shortly. All of your luggage and belongings have already been brought up to your rooms. Are there any questions?"

The first years all looked around, wracking their brains for questions, but found none.

Russell chuckled. "Clever little bunch already, aren't you? Well, I'll lead the ladies to their dorms first. Boys, if you would, please sit quietly and await my return."

Rose bid her goodbyes to both Scorpius and Albus before turning and following Russell up the leftmost staircase, trailing behind a large group of girls.

The six boys dwindled in the common room, all either tugging awkwardly at their clothes or walking around and admiring more of the common room's decorations for something to do.

Albus and Scorpius took seats on one of the couches by a hearth. "Do you think Rose'll survive her dormitory?" Albus asked, nudging Scorpius playfully.

Scorpius chuckled quietly. "I think that if Rose can handle one thing, it's a group of petty Ravenclaw girls. It's not as if they're catty or anything, they're most outstanding trait is intelligence. She'll fit right in."

Albus laughed and returned his gaze to the fire, watching as it simmered out, the hot coals still a red color as they took their time cooling down to follow the fire.

"Rose is used to being around loads of redheads to keep her company. All of her cousins have always been extremely close with each other, and she's never known anything different. Being around these girls is going to be a different experience for her entirely, one I'm not sure she's ready for yet and I don't want her to be nervous or scared for when the time comes that she has to befriend them-"

"Albus," Scorpius interrupted, placing a pale hand on the boy's shoulder. Albus looked up and saw his friend looking at him with a strange expression. "Did you think I was going to want to be friends with either of you, that I would want to be seen with Potter and a Weasley, in a house other than the one my family's been Sorted into for generations? Look where I am now, look at the people I've met, the things I've already accomplished and school hasn't even started her, in one night, I broke the Malfoy stereotype and made friends with the two people who were at the bottom of my list of potential comrades. If I'm thriving, don't you think Rose will, too?"

Albus chewed on his lip as he pondered this, but before he could do anything, Russell reappeared in the common room. Albus was so lost in his train of thought that he didn't even hear the prefect coming back down the stairs. Russell had a successful smile on his face and turned to the remaining six boys, all scattered around the common room.

"You all might want to get used to the idea of being roommates instead of blocking each other out and ignoring each other," said Russell. He began walking towards the rightmost staircase. "Your common room is over here," he called over his shoulder.

The six boys followed Russell up the charcoal stone staircase and to their dormitory. Albus, being at the head of the group, was the first to enter the room after Russell opened the door. He gasped aloud and walked to the bed where his trunk sat at the foot of, admiring the magic that must have gone into it.

Scorpius followed in suit, pleased to find out that his bed was across from Albus'. Their beds were placed at the far side of the dormitory, near the windows. The rest of the boys filed in and took their places at their beds, all murmuring in awe and amazement.

Russell cleared his throat to get the boys' attention. "Sorry if this seems a little cramped, but we thought it was less than ideal to divide you and have two very barren rooms when we could have simply combined the six of you in one room. As dormitories are usually meant for five people, it may seem a tad cramped, but I assure you, you will get used to it. I myself have a similar arrangement in my dormitory, and we have little space problems, even after we've grown over the years."

Albus had forgotten the five boys sitting with him in the dormitory were to be his roommates for the rest of their schooling careers. The thought made him giddy with excitement, the fact that he was, hopefully, guaranteed to have four other friends besides Scorpius and Rose.

"Enjoy yourselves, and don't stay up to late, as classes start tomorrow. Have a great night, and sleep well!"

And with that, Russell left the dormitory, leaving the six boys in an uncomfortable silence.

Albus wondered how Rose was handling her night with her roommates.

...

"They weren't terrifying or anything, they were just extremely bold. And they hovered. Quite a bit."

Albus and Scorpius were laughing along to Rose's story of the previous night and her new roommates. So far, she had yet to say anything cruel or vindictive about any of them, which Albus took as a good sign. It meant that she was getting along with them perfectly fine.

"Who are your roommates again? Maybe we know some of them," asked Scorpius.

Albus knew what his friend was doing, he had thought of doing it himself before Scorpius beat him to it. He would have asked Rose about her roommates, pretended to, or maybe not, depending on who it was, know some of them, or of them, to make Rose more comfortable with the idea of rooming with the girls. Then they would invite the few they pretended to know over for lunch later that day, so as to loosen Rose up some more. Albus was appreciative of the gesture Scorpius was trying to make, and he conveyed this with a slight nudge in the blonde's side followed by a knowing look. Scorpius only nodded and returned his attention to Rose.

Maybe becoming friends with Scorpius wasn't going to be as bad as everyone had made it out to be.

"Well," Rose began, when she was certain she had both boys' attention, "there's Patricia Cox-you wouldn't know of her Albus, I didn't either-Amelia Heather, Cayley Corner-"

"I know her!" exclaimed Albus excitedly, a smile on his face. "Michael and Michelle Corner's daughter, right? Dad mentions Michael sometimes, they were in school together."

"Yes, Albus, that's who it is," replied Rose, obviously pleased that Albus knew someone. "Anyways, there's also June Smith, her parents are-"

"Cho Chang and Zacharias Smith, right?" asked Scorpius, surprising Albus. He didn't actually think Scorpius would know any of Rose's roommates, only that he was asking because he thought it would be polite.

"Cho Smith now, but yes, June is their daughter," answered Rose, genuinely as surprised as Albus was. "This is great, that you two know a few of my roommates. It'll make me feel a little less horrible when I abandon you for them."

Albus rolled his eyes, "yeah right." But Scorpius punched him in the arm, causing him to straighten out. Rose had already gotten up from her space on the bench and was walking towards a group of young girls, obviously her roommates. Albus recognized Cayley Corner and June Smith, who both welcomed Rose openly, as well as the other two girls, who Albus didn't recognize.

"Well," Albus deflated and looked over to Scorpius, who's eyebrow had risen as he watched Albus' reaction to Rose's abandonment.

"Guess we're on our own right now," said Scorpius.

The two shared a laugh, then realized what that entailed. Rose would be no help to them in figuring out where they were supposed to go for their first class.

...

As it turned out, finding their classroom wasn't as difficult as it seemed. Albus and Scorpius found the Potions dungeon perfectly fine, with little to no troubles and without any of Rose's help, as she had taken off to class after breakfast with her roommates.

The two boys filed into the classroom, where Albus spotted Rose occupying a lab table, sitting next to June. Scorpius found an empty lab table towards the back of the classroom and lead Albus to it, the two sitting down, dropping their school bags on the ground as they did so.

"Wonder how it feels to have a friend your mum would approve of," Albus teased, motioning towards Rose and June, who were excitedly comparing notes. What the notes were even on, Albus didn't know. All he knew was there was no way neither his, nor Rose's, parents would approve of the budding friendship between him, herself, and Scorpius, Albus also knew that one Lucius Malfoy would also be none too pleased if he found his son meandering around the Ravenclaw house making friends with Potters and Weasleys.

Before he could ponder further on the point, a dark-skinned adult walked in, presumably the teacher, as the students fell silent upon his arrival. He did a quick assessment of the room with his eyes, briefly stopping over Albus and Scorpius, as Albus figured he would, before continuing his sweep of the room. Albus teetered on the edge of his seat, quill in hand, parchment laid out nearly in front of him. Scorpius, on the other hand, looked incessantly bored and had his supplies askew across the table, the cauldron and stove in the middle being the only place not touched by his things.

"I am Blaise Zabini, but to you it's Professor," the man began, and Albus noted the name. It sounded familiar. "This year we will mostly be covering the beginnings of potion brewing, basic ingredients and how their properties coincide. There is a list of standards that I have created in the syllabus' you were given in your Hogwarts letters. Those standards are examples of the types of things that are going to be covered. Am I clear?"

A chorus of "yes sirs" filled the dimly lit room, and Albus followed along eagerly, having already written down the standards on a piece of parchment that he had tucked away in his Potions folder.

"The only thing that we will not be doing in this class that is different from other years is the actual testing of the potions. In the past, the teacher tests the potions on subjects, whether that be a rabbit from the forest, of the students themselves, to test their accuracy and ability to use it. However, this was a privilege and has been taken away because of certain events that occurred last year."

The students groaned and Albus made a mental note to ask James about that. He had a feeling there was more to the story than Professor Zabini was letting on and that James was at the center of it, as per usual.

"Now, today is easy. We are using today to test your aptitude in potion making. A recipe for the Senses Draught can be found on page thirteen in your textbooks. This potion is generally used to, depending on the brewing, either heighten or deter one's senses. You will be working with your current table partner, so be glad I let you choose your seats for the term, and you will be required to make one of the two types of Senses Draught, the heightening or the deterring. In your notes, I would like one of you to document which type of potion you are brewing and the differences between the brewing a of the types. You do not need to know the properties of the different ingredients, only the fact that there are different procedures and ingredients in both potions. Good luck."

Albus and Scorpius set to work, noticing that Rose and June had already started adding ingredients to their cauldron, no doubt having worked ahead while Professor Zabini was explaining things. Scorpius flipped open to the page while Albus headed a piece of parchment with both of their names, already setting up a chart to list the differences in the potions.

"Al, grab these ingredients from the shelf, I'll turn on the stove. It has to sit for at least five minutes before you start brewing, I have no _earthly_ idea how Rose is already started on hers."

Albus rushed past the crowds of students, making his way to the cabinets to grab the ingredients needed. He worked diligently, bringing back the first listed ingredients in the textbook to the table before marching right back, managing to weasel his way past everyone with his skinny frame in order to get everything.

By the time he got back to the table with the last few ingredients, Scorpius had already filled the cauldron with water and was adding the first few ingredients, the next already lined up at the table's edge. He had also scrawled a few differences between the two types of potions on the chart Albus had created. Albus was beginning to think that his friendship with Scorpius would benefit him in more ways than one.

The two boys worked efficiently and quickly, Albus looking at the recipes whenever Scorpius was focused on the cauldron, writing down as many differences as he could before Scorpius needed to use the textbook again. There wasn't enough room on the tabletop for Albus' textbook since Scorpius had laid out all of the ingredients across the surface, his things sprawled about the half that wasn't being taken up by ingredients.

That was something Albus would have to talk to him about.

By the end of the class period, only four groups had finished the potion, Albus and Scorpius being one of them, Rose and June being another. Professor Zabini collected the unfinished charts of the other groups and had them drain their cauldrons before class ended.

"Worry not if you didn't finish your potion, this was only to test how well you do in a lab setting. Some of you will need to work on time management, but that's alright. We have seven more years to perfect that skill. Good luck with the rest of your day!"

Albus and Scorpius left the classroom, meeting up with Rose down the hall and walked with her the rest of the way to the greenhouse, where they had Herbology next.


	6. Dumbledore's Portrait

The greenhouses were not air conditioned and were not in any way temperature-modified, no matter what kind of plants they had stored in there, Albus, Scorpius and Rose found out as they stood with the rest of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years in the second greenhouse to the right of the school's main castle. Red-faced with beads of sweat rolling down their cheeks, the first years stood waiting for their professor to come out to teach the lesson.

"This class should be fairly easy," Albus was saying to Scorpius, bragging just a little, "the professor's my godfather."

"Albus!" Rose squeaked, slapping him lightly on the head, her red face angry, "you can't use that to your advantage! It's nepotism! Besides, Uncle Neville is certainly not the type of teacher to just give away grades to students he's related to."

"That would be entirely correct."

The three turned around to see Neville Longbottom (Uncle Neville to Rose and Albus) standing behind them with a half-amused, half-exasperated look on his face. Albus beamed, resisting the urge to hug his godfather, instead opting for a pleasant greeting. "Hey, Uncle Neville!"

Neville looked a little uncomfortable as Albus called him the nickname all the Potter/Weasley clan did when they were at home. "I'd prefer it if you call me Professor Longbottom here, Al," he said quietly as other students looked over curiously. He glanced at them all and smiled reassuringly. "It keeps up appearances."

Albus and Rose nodded, while Scorpius sat looking a tad out of place next to them. "You've got it, Professor!" said Albus assuringly, and Neville nodded, making his way to the front of the greenhouse.

Neville cleared his throat before beginning. "Right, my name is Professor Longbottom, and welcome to first year Herbology."

The first years shifted between their feet, the stifling heat still something everyone was getting used to, but not something they despised. Plenty of them had heard wonderful things about Professor Longbottom, and they were excited to have him as their teacher for a class that would become important for certain N.E.W.T career choices.

"As some of you already know, Herbology is the study of magical plants and herbs and their properties, meaning we will be studying a series of plants and finding out how they are useful or harmful to the wizard world. Of course, some are used for medicinally purposes, while others can be used in lethal poisons that could kill a witch without a blink of an eye."

Albus sniffed and Scorpius coughed. Rose simply bubbled with excitement.

"Now, this year we will be covering fairly simple things, as I imagine you will be doing for most of your classes, but fear not! First year Herbology is not boring! We still study plants, and some of them are fairly dangerous to humans, as explained in my letter I sent home with you all along with your Hogwarts letters. Hopefully, your parents signed the permission form I dealt out that give you all permission to be in contact with certain dangerous plants, and of you have said forms, I'd like you to pass them up now please."

A clamor rose as students passed their sheets up, and some exclaimed angrily as they realized they had misplaced theirs. Albus, Scorpius and Rose successfully handed their forms in to Neville, and he collected them with ease, putting the pile in a folder beside him, before returning his attention to the students.

"Now, if you all have your textbooks, I'd like us to start today by reading the preface of the textbook, and going over what that might mean for this class."

...

"Why does History of Magic even exist? Seriously, why does Hogwarts feel the need to have another cause of death be listed on their already particularly long list of murders this school has had in its entire history?"

"And what would that cause of death be?" Rose asked, setting her chin on her hand as she looked at Albus in mild distaste.

Scorpius chimed in. "Why boredom, of course. What else?"

Rose glowered and dropped her hand, her head held high pompously as the three conversed over their lunches. "History of Magic is not boring, Albus you nitwit, take that back!"

Albus was surprised, and he voiced this openly. "Why me? Scor was getting down on the subject, too! Why can he do no wrong?"

"You instigated it, you slimy, miserable chicken!" Rose exclaimed, shoveling a mouthful of macaroni angrily into her mouth.

Scorpius was simply amused by the ordeal as he casually sipped his pumpkin juice. "I do believe that that is the most aggressive I've ever seen Rose," he said, "granted I've only known her for two days. Also, Albus, call me 'Scor' and I'll have you beaten to a bloody pulp."

"By who?" taunted Albus shamelessly.

"By someone."

"The point is!" interjected Rose, who was still bitter over the lack of enthusiasm for History of Magic. "Is that History of Magic is quite useful, in the sense that it helps educate us young wizards on the history of our kind and why our preservation is so important-"

"So Quidditch tryouts are two weeks from now," said Albus, striking up a conversation with Scorpius as Rose continued ranting.

"So I heard."

"Thinking of trying out?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Honestly, I might be a rubbish Chaser and I just don't know it yet."

"-magical creatures help us with our daily lives and it is vital for us to fully understand our relationship with some of them as well as the politics that go I to said relationships-"

"Why would you think that? I tossed a crumpled piece of parchment at you during History of Magic to try and wake you up and you caught it like it was second nature. You were literally asleep and you awoke simply to catch the parchment!"

"I wasn't asleep, I was merely resting my eyes as Professor Binns enlightened us on the magical, wonderful tale of his cause of death."

"Well I still think it was impressive. If anything, I should be worried. If I don't make the team as Seeker, James might murder me with the amount of teasing I'll undergo."

"-enlightening those who are unaware of said wars is also important, as it helps better our current government and keeps a situation similar to it from happening again, history like that should not repeat itself, as you know-"

"Potter would tease you for not making Seeker? Hell, don't even bother trying out then if it's that much pressure on you."

"That would give James all the more reason to tease me."

"I get the sense that your brother is a bit of a prat."

"Most would agree, although my dad thinks of it as him pushing me to be a better human being."

"-furthermore the integration of Muggles and wizards seems to be in our near future and we need to be prepared for when it happens. Some wizards are just too plain prejudice to realize that we are all the same!" Rose finished her monologue with a deep, chest-rattling breath and red cheeks.

"Merlin, was she talking the entire time?" Scorpius asked as Rose rested her head in her hands, trying to regain her breath. Albus nodded.

"Happens a lot, you get used to it."

"Oi, Potter!"

Albus looked over his shoulder, and saw his brother James sniggering at him, waving him over with one arm, another arm preparing a bite of his lunch. Albus complied, sighing and getting up from the table, ignoring the looks of warning he received from Rose and the curious ones from Scorpius.

"You know, we're brothers. You don't have to call me 'Potter'. You're a Potter, too."

"Yeah, well I don't know how much of a Potter you are. Getting Sorted into Ravenclaw and all that. Obviously you weren't brave enough to be with the rest of your family, now were you?" James retorted, a smirk resting on his face, eyebrow cocked sarcastically.

Albus glowered. "What happened to having my back in Hogwarts?"

James' smirk widened, though Albus detected a bit of remorse in his stare.

"Things have changed."

...

"Why don't you just hex him? Or brew a potion and slip it in his morning pumpkin juice? In a few weeks, we're supposed to be learning the Animal Draught, which causes a person to turn into whichever animal the brewer pleases. Turn your brother into a ferret or something."

Albus rolled his eyes and rolled onto his back, letting the soft grass rub against the back of his head. The three first years were lying on the courtyard, soaking up the last bit of sun before it sunk and the moon replaced it. Rose diligently worked on classwork while Albus and Scorpius devised a way to prank James without getting caught.

"How would I go about slipping a potion into his juice? He's got his fan club guarding him twenty-four seven, there's no way I'd get around them in time without anyone noticing. James has eyes like a hawk anyways, being a Seeker and all, so he'd be able to spot a little difference in the pumpkin juice without a second thought."

"Frightening," was Scorpius' bland response as he sat back against a tree trunk and thought.

Rose, who was comfortable sat next to him, books and parchment splayed over both of their laps, rolled her eyes and shut her Herbology textbook. "You all are idiots."

"Didn't Uncle Neville say he wouldn't start assigning homework until we actually learned something?" asked Albus cruelly, eyes narrowing. Rose glared and opened the book again, taking a piece of parchment that was resting on Scorpius' thigh that had her Herbology notes on it and placing it in front of her indignantly.

"I'm trying to get ahead so my workload isn't as heavy, which is more than I can say for the two of you. Honestly, it's a wonder how either of you made it into Ravenclaw, you're about as dense as a couple of bags of wet hair."

"Dumber than a nail, I'd say. Wet hair smells bad," Scorpius responded snappily. A textbook smacked him on the forehead. "Right, wet hair's good. Especially the bagged variety."

Albus chuckled at the exchange, and shifted so he was facing his friends. His face was one of deep concentration and he watched as his cousin studied and his other friend mercilessly picked on her while she did so. The three had become close so quickly, he almost didn't think it was real. If someone had told him before he started at Hogwarts that he was to become friends with Scorpius Malfoy, he would have laughed in their faces. But in that moment, watching his friends bicker mindlessly over homework assignments, he had never felt more in place than he did then, like he truly belonged. It was the first time he felt like that in a long time, and he didn't want it to go away.

"I heard June's got a thing for you, Albus."

That snapped Albus out of his thoughts. He looked to Scorpius who had an amused smirk on his face, and then to Rose, who couldn't have looked less interested in their current topic of conversation.

"No she doesn't. I'm a weirdo and she's got soft skin from her Asian mum. She's way too pretty for me."

Scorpius clicked his tongue in his mouth, twitching an eyebrow as he looked out in the distance, comprehending the situation. "If you truly think she's pretty, then get to know her. Maybe she'll accidentally fall for your uninteresting yet slightly appealing personality."

"You really know how to wound a guy."

"I've had my practice."

Rose sighed, throwing her head against the tree trunk behind her, setting her book and notes down on the ground beside her. Scorpius followed in suit, getting the academic supplies on and around his legs away from him and compiling them into a pile between the two.

"Don't listen to Scorpius, Al. If you actually do like June and it has little to nothing to do with her looks, then you should act on instinct and be yourself. I'm sure June will find you plenty attractive, without looks being a factor."

Albus smiled gratefully at Rose, but didn't respond. He actually didn't have a thing for June, he just wanted to see where Scorpius would take the conversation. Albus had begun to anticipate Scorpius' humor and how his wit would play into his response to certain things. He discovered that Scorpius was extremely quick and often relied on petty insult not meant to hurt, but to put a strain in the confidence of whoever he was having a conversation with. This got the other party more closely guarded, and henceforth leaving them unable to give a viable response to the ridiculous things that came out of his mouth. Albus knew that this was Scorpius' way of being able to say whatever he wanted without his family's reputation getting in the way, and he found that his blonde friend had a very effective procedure set in stone.

Rose realized the reason behind Albus' silence and rolled her eyes again. "I hope you never change, Al."

Scorpius smirked at Albus, before grabbing a handful of grass and tossing it at Rose beside him. Shrieking in surprise, Rose quickly launched a counterattack in which she grabbed a stick and shoved her hand forward, towards Scorpius' thigh, effectively ripping a hole through his (seemingly expensive) posh pants.

Albus was stunned, watching as his two friends continued to bicker and throw items of vegetation at each other. He didn't notice when a tap came down on his shoulder, attempting to signal his attentions away from his friends. In fact, he didn't notice until Rose and Scorpius ceased fighting and looked over his shoulder and, wondering who was behind him, Albus turned around to find Lysander standing behind him.

Lysander tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and cleared his throat, almost nervously. Before speaking. "McGonagall wants to see you in her office, Al."

Albus nodded, moving to stand up, brushing off bits of grass and dirt and collecting his things, before bidding his friends goodbye and following Lysander up the steel hills towards the castle.

Rose and Scorpius shared a look, one laced with worry and curiosity, but said nothing of the exchange, instead going back to studying. Contrary to Rose's original belief, Scorpius was determined to pass his classes as well, and being friends with one if the smartest witches in their year certainly didn't hurt his chances of passing.

Meanwhile, Albus and Lysander were trekking up the hill, making small and awkward conversation.

"How was your first day, Albus?" asked Lysander, shaking out his hair before tucking it behind his ears again, a habit Albus noticed he did a lot, no matter the scenario.

"Um, it's been alright. A few bumps along the way, but otherwise I'm fitting in just fine, you?"

Lysander shrugged, putting his fidgety hands into his pockets, probably to keep himself from messing with his hair anymore. "Indifferent. People still give me the same rubbish over mum and her wacky beliefs, but I don't let it get to my head."

Albus nodded, understanding. Though his family was close to the Scamanders, he had heard his relatives, particularly his uncles, poking fun at Luna and her father, Xenophilius, for the things he published in his magazine, The Quibbler. Albus himself had yet to read an issue, but Rose had told him that some of the articles had really good ideas, ones that, with a little research, could be improved. Albus told Lysander this.

"I suppose so. It just gets a little aggravating, having to hear everyone jab at your mum and her habits, trying to be discrete even though I can hear them just fine."

Their conversation stopped, they had reached McGonagall's office. "Hey, have you got any idea why she needs to see me?" asked Albus. Lysander shrugged again.

"Not a clue, mate. She didn't seem angry at all, so that must be a good sign. Good luck."

With that, Lysander retreated down the hall, his footsteps getting softer and softer as Albus rounded up his wits and began his ascent up the stone, spiral staircase. His ratty old sneakers banged against the next step a few times, and he almost tripped twice, but he managed to get up the staircase with little to no issues other than that.

With a swift knock on the door, he waited for McGonagall to greet him, wondering anxiously why he had been called in the first place. Albus didn't recall doing anything substantially wrong, and considering it was his first day, he didn't think any of the teachers had a problem with him yet. So he was curious, why had the Headmistress already called him in?

Albus' questions were answered when the door opened and his father was standing in the middle of the room clutching letters.

Albus's father had always been someone he had looked up to. A war hero, the savior of the Wizard World, there weren't a lot of things that Harry Potter couldn't do (besides cook and unclog a toilet, but that was neither here nor there) and he was the type of person that a boy would admire. Add to the fact that he managed to maintain a normal life, with a healthy marriage and three kids, how could a son not naturally be in constant admiration of a father like that?

But as Harry stood there in the office, his face something between anger and disappointment, Albus wasn't sure which was worse, he suddenly felt extremely small and wished he had a different father.

"Albus," McGonagall was speaking, and Albus Drew his attention away from his father to look at the Headmistress. "Mr. Potter flooed over after receiving some rather scandalizing letters from your older brother James concerning your recent behavior at Hogwarts, and I felt that the two of you should talk it out."

Of course. Of course it had to be James. Of course James wrote lies in letters and sent them to their dad. Of course he was now angry at Albus for something James falsely accused him of. Of course he was in trouble for no reason again. Of course, of course, of course.

"Son," Harry finally spoke, his voice quivering slightly, "sit down."

So Albus did. He sat in one of the chairs in front of McGonagall's desk, nodding to the Headmistress as she left, presumably to give the two some privacy.

Harry sat in the seat next to him and refused to look at him, which made Albus feel even worse.

"Look, Al, I'll be honest. I have no idea if anything in these letters are true. James has a tendency to embellish on basically everything he's ever done, but that doesn't change the fact that I have to speak with you about it to make sure he's lying. I've been waiting to beat his arse since he nearly blew up the kitchen but your mum wouldn't let me."

Albus nodded, looking forwards, pretending to admire the fancy woodwork that was McGonagall's desk. It really was rather fine wood, perhaps maple or oak.

"Do you know what kind of wood this is?" Albus asked, reaching up to knock the wood. "It's very firm, could even be mahogany of you ask me-"

"That's neither here nor there, Albus, the point is, I have to make sure-"

"The upholstery of these seat cushions are marvelous as well. I'll have to ask McGonagall how she chose such a fine pattern."

"I don't think she had a say in this, I think these were here when Dumbledore was Headmaster-"

"And these artifacts! Gee whiz, have you ever seen such great representations of our history in the form of precious objects? I mean to even fathom the mere idea-"

"Albus," Harry spoke sternly.

"Sorry," responded Albus. "I'm nervous, even though I know I didn't do anything particularly wrong, there are a few things in those letters that might actually be true."

Harry's mouth twitched, just slightly, but it was enough to make Albus relax much more, his back slouching slightly. "Well I already know that the fact that you're friends with Malfoy's boy is true, I saw you with Rose and him out in the courtyard from the window when I first got here."

Albus swallowed thickly, his nerves creeping back up. "Is that something to get mad about? I mean, are you okay with me being friends with him? He's really funny and sarcastic and smart, and Rose likes him a lot too, although I think she likes him a bit more than I do, if you know what I mean-"

"Heaven forbid Uncle Ron heard you say that," Harry interrupted chuckling. "I don't know, Albus, do you think I should be mad? Is there a reason why you think I should, anyways?

Albus shrugged. "Maybe," he said, "I mean Scor's dad was your enemy or something for an indefinite number of years, and Uncle Ron certainly doesn't like the family all that much. And his ancestors were Death Eaters, Uncle Ron told us that."

"I'm starting to think you need to stay away from Ron during the holidays," mused Harry, sitting thoughtfully in his chair. "Let's see here, as far as I know, and I should because I'm Head Auror, there have been no reports of Scorpius himself being a Death Eater. An eleven year old follower of Voldemort would surely be a sight."

"But his father was one-"

"Draco Malfoy's story is a bit different than the other Death Eaters," admitted Harry as he looked at his son, and Albus could feel how much his father wanted him to understand what he was saying, "and he is a good man now. One of the best lawyers in the country, I heard."

Albus sat in thought for a while before he spoke again. "So if Scorpius doesn't decide that Rose and I are lame and we're still friends for the holidays, could he come over for Christmas?"

Harry chuckled, ruffling his son's already unkept hair.

"If you, Rose and Scorpius are still friends, and his parents are okay with it, then yes, he can come stay with us for a few days during the holidays. Even Christmas and New Year's if his parents allow it."

Albus couldn't help it, he whooped. He felt his face confirming into an unstoppable ear-splitting grin. The reality of it was that he had only known Scorpius for a few days, but already he felt like they had become best friends.

"Now," Harry continued, and Albus pushed back the urge to groan, "we must keep in mind that Scorpius' parents are a lot different than your mother and I are. He was raised differently, has family traditions and customs, so we don't even know if he'll want to come to ours for Christmas holiday. But that doesn't mean you can't invite him. I just want to let you know that it might take a little convincing to get him to come."

Albus nodded, and Harry pulled his son in for a hug. They sat for a minute or so, before Albus bade his father goodbye and ran out of the office, an excited smile still tugging on his face.

Harry sighed and sunk into his chair. 'That boy'll be the death of me, I swear it,' he thought 'him and James. They're ruining me.'

"He is peculiar, your child." Harry jumped at the familiar voice, and turned to see Dumbledore's portrait staring at him, the familiar twinkle in his eye ever-present, even in this form. "Befriending a boy who was expected a Slytherin, and a Malfoy no less."

"Albus has always stood out," Harry responded warmly, memories of his middle child's early life flooding through him. "It's what I've always liked about him. He's always reminded me of a couple of men I knew not too long ago."

Dumbledore winked and looked to his left, where another portrait sat. Severus Snape sat in his frame, his lip pulled over his teeth in his signature sneer, his greasy hair framing his face as always, giving him a deadly look.

"Now, now, Severus, we must accept this as an honor. Harry has named his second son after us! After all, I foresee great things from this boy," Dumbledore said to Severus, who continued to sulk without a single word.

Harry frowned at that. Surely, there was an underlying tone in Dumbledore's voice-there always was when he was talking to Harry-but he couldn't place this one. It seemed knowing, but then again, Dumbledore also always seemed to know everything that was going to happen. That only made Harry's frown deepen. If Dumbledore knew something about Albus' future, then it couldn't have been good, for nothing that Dumbledore had predicted was ever good. Harry had worked for nineteen years to ensure that his children would live as normal lives as possible, and he would be damned if he let a cryptic line from old Dumbledore stop that from happening.

Albus would be normal, and he would live like a normal child would. If it was the last thing Harry ever did.

...

 **A/N:** Hello! I've actually had this chapter prepared for a while now, but I hadn't posted it until today because I'm evil and I hate myself.

Nonetheless, I'm back with another update, so you can't say I completely ditched this story. One again, I'd like to note that I am planning on carrying this series throughout Albus' seven years at Hogwarts (hopefully my inspiration doesn't run dry before that). I also have a good chunk of the series in general outlined, and I think I know the direction I want to take it.

Another note, I'VE STARTED ANOTHER SERIES! Yes, it may seem like a lot, but for those who really enjoy the second generation characters, you should definitely check out my story "Fragments", where I will be posting one shots centered around the second generation characters and their whereabouts. I've explained the general thought of the series in the first update of Fragments, so if you think that is something worth checking out, feel free to do so.

Also, this is the first A/N I've done for this series...weird. I kinda like it.

One last thing before I leave, I'd like to get it out of the way now that I am not planning on writing seven books worth of Albus sitting in school learning with his friends. There will be drama, there will be mystery, and I've planned a new dark enemy for the next Potter child to battle. This series will not stay as uplifting and fun as it is in the present. I am planning on taking the series in another direction entirely, and I hope everyone think that that is a good idea, because if not...oh well, because that's what I'm planning on doing!

I also find it extremely hilarious how my first A/N is also the longest A/N in the history of A/N's that I've ever read. Ever. I promise that in the future my A/N's will not be this long.

Thank you to everyone reading, I appreciate every view, follow and favorite. But I would also like some feedback on my story, the plot, or just my writing style in general, so leave me a review! I've always liked receiving constructive criticism, whether it's in my schoolwork or my recreational writing, so please, if you have any thoughts on the story or any ideas to keep the story interesting, please leave a review explaining said thoughts and ideas.

~ clary


	7. Flashing Green Light

"Look, all I'm saying is that your older brother is a complete and utter prat. Also, if it makes you feel any better, you are one too."

Albus shook his head and rolled his eyes, hitting Scorpius on the arm playfully, trying to hide the smile creeping on his face. Scorpius had spent the past few weeks making easy jabs at James as Albus' older brother incessantly pulled seemingly harmless pranks against Albus and Ravenclaw House.

Rose sighed, "you're all being immature, honestly it's a wonder you made it into Ravenclaw."

"We all know how you were destined for this House, Rosie, no need to make a stink about it," Scorpius reminded the red headed witch. "Besides, who's the only student beating you in Potions right now? Hmm? Is it perhaps, me? The one and only Scorpius Malfoy? 'Nasty boys, those Malfoys are, terrible company to keep. Make sure to beat him in every subject, Rosie.'"

Albus snorted. The last bit was Scorpius mocking Rose's father, Ron Weasley, who, before he and Rose had gotten on the train, had spotted Scorpius and told Rose to beat him in everything. Obviously, Rose wasn't taking her father's advice, as Scorpius had her beat in Potions.

Albus neglected to mention that Scorpius was ahead in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology as well.

"Nevertheless, dear Albus, James is only looking for trouble. He's messed with the wrong eleven year olds," Scorpius joked, pretending to crack his knuckles menacingly and winced as a bone in his index finger popped out of its socket. Scorpius shoved it back in place and continued with his dinner.

"Pig," sneered Rose, flipping her red hair over her shoulder in distaste.

"Vindictive, she is," mumbled Scorpius, though not quiet enough for Rose not to hear.

A smack on the head. "Sorry."

Albus returned to his dinner, ignoring his friends' antics. He might never understand them, so he saw no point in bothering at that point.

Only a few weeks had passed since Albus' meeting with Harry in McGonagall's office, and the year was approaching November, meaning Halloween was coming up shortly. In fact, it was tomorrow, Albus remembered, as he thought about how he saw Peeves setting up his Pre-Halloween tricks and decorations.

"I wish Hogwarts did trick-or-treating," Rose was saying, "then I could dress up as a fairy princess and get candy for free."

* * *

 _A thin layer of sweat covered Albus' body, but the chilly night air caused it to sit on his skin, sticking, but not heated, therefore leaving him uncomfortable in his clothes. Albus tried to get his eyes to focus, but it seemed none of his senses were working properly. He couldn't see, hear, or smell anything, and when he reached out, his hand hit a surface, but his touch was so dull that he couldn't register what the surface he hit was. He only felt a tingling on his fingertips, so he moved on._

 _Albus tried to figure out his position, if he was sitting, lying down or already standing. If he was standing, then the next step was easy, figure out how to walk. Albus didn't know why, but he felt like if he figured out how to walk, the rest of his senses would come back naturally._

 _Based on the way the blood was pumping through his body, Albus reasoned that he was not lying down or sitting, he would feel more stationary, and his feet wouldn't be aching. He had obviously been standing for a long time._

 _With effort, Albus moved his right foot, inching it along the floor uneasily, before taking a full step. Almost immediately, his eyesight began to clear up, his hearing coming back, and his grip on really tightening._

 _Albus was in a room. A small one. He knew this because of the wall that stood in front of him, and he reached out slightly with both arms, only to find that his hands hit more walls immediately. Other than this, he knew nothing of what was going on. The lights were off, and he couldn't feel a light switch as he ran his hands over the walls. He felt as if the room was getting smaller, and he was enclosed in it._

 _Albus took a step forward, and his foot hit something. A door. The door creaked open and Albus immediately began walking out of the room, sighing in relief as cool air washed over his face and the back of his neck._

 _The hallway was a lot wider than the door, but there was still no light, so Albus kept one hand on a wall and continued down the hall, his brain working out scenarios of where he might be._

 _Was it a trap? Had his dorm mates set up a prank in the Room of Requirement? Though Albus knew of the room, his father wouldn't tell him where it was located, and therefore Albus wondered how it was possible that his dorm mates knew and he didn't._

 _A light flickered a few hundred feet down the hall, and Albus picked up his pace, beginning a light jog as he tried to reach it before it went out again. He needed to know what was going on, he needed to be able to see._

 _The light flashed green, a bright green that hurt his eyes, even at the distance at which he stood. Albus began running, a hand still lightly trailing alongside the wall, and he began calling out, trying to get the attention of someone, anyone, that was near him, to help._

 _"Hello? Anybody here? Hello? I'm alone, I need help! Hello?"_

 _The green light went out, Albus saw black-_

* * *

-and then he woke up.

"Mate! Bloody wake up, will you? I've been trying to get you stop that screaming for twenty minutes now! What's your problem?"

Albus opened his eyes, realizing he was in his room, on his bed, his blue sheets scrunched up at the bottom of his bed, almost rolling off, his comforter already strewn across the floor. His pajamas were bunched around his knees, his long sleeves pushed up to his elbows uncomfortably. Sweat dripped down his spine and covered most of his body with a fine layer. Scorpius eyed Albus warily, and he was suddenly aware of his other roommate's eyes on him.

"You alright, there, Potter?" Oliver Hanson asked, his thick eyebrows scrunched in concern. Henry Victor, the boy standing next to him, nodded in agreement.

Scorpius scanned Albus' face for any sort of lie after he replied with, "I'm fine, Hanson. I'll be alright in a minute, just need some time to cool off."

Henry and Oliver walked back to their beds, satisfied. Geoffrey Stevenson stood for a moment or two, being the most quiet of the group he had nothing to say, just addressing the situation quickly with his eyes, then slinking back to his bed in silence, not disturbing anyone.

Only Scorpius remained. Albus breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back down on his bed, his brain still rattling from his nightmare. If he could even call it that. It hadn't lasted long enough for him to realize what was happening, and if he didn't know what was happening, then how could it be a nightmare? Albus shook his head, further ruffling the mess that was his hair.

"We'll talk about it at breakfast with Rose, Al. You're not getting off that easy. Must've been a hell of a nightmare for you to wake up screaming and shaking."

Albus jumped. He hadn't realized Scorpius was still standing there watching him, so he sat up and looked at his friend. Scorpius' blonde hair was ruffled, having woken up so suddenly because of Albus' nightmare. His pajamas were wrinkled, and it was the first time that Albus had seen his friend looking anything less than well-put together. Scorpius always had a smirk on his face, or his hair styled perfectly, his clothes always smooth and never wrinkled. It dawned on Albus how serious Scorpius was taking the situation. His only friend in Hogwarts had been yelling in his sleep from a nightmare, and from what the students have learned from their parents, nightmares always lead to something else in the wizard world.

"Scorpius," Albus said, realizing he needed to find a way to comfort his friend. "I'm alright. A lot better than I was a few minutes ago, but I'm alright. The dream wasn't even that bad, it's been blown way out of proportion."

As Scorpius turned away to his own bed, Albus heard him mumble his final words before breakfast.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

Later that morning at breakfast, Albus, Scorpius and Rose all sat together at one end of the Ravenclaw table. Before Oliver and Henry had went to sit down with their friends, they had each given Albus a pat on the back and an encouraging smile, arousing already present suspicion in Rose even further. She could tell by the dynamic between her two friends that something was off.

Then Geoffrey came and offered Albus a shy smile, and Rose lost it.

"Okay," she said, face quickly turning red with anger, "what are you two keeping from me?"

Albus and Scorpius exchanged looks before looking back to Rose. Scorpius provided the response. "We're not keeping anything from you."

Rose huffed. "That's no possible. Geoffrey Stevenson hasn't said a word to a single soul since he got here and all of a sudden he's giving you smiles and pats on the back like you've done something? What happened?"

Albus sighed and shook out his hair. "I had a nightmare."

Rose was quickly silenced, sitting back on the bench with a thoughtful expression on her face. "About what?" She finally asked.

"That's just it," Albus replied, his head still lowered slightly, "I don't know what happened. All I knew during the dream was that I was somewhere I shouldn't have been. I didn't get anything, it was all so quick and confusing. It happened within seconds."

"You know what those types of dreams meant to your father, right Albus?" Rose asked, her expression now worried. Scorpius only looked confused.

"Yeah, I do. But it wouldn't make sense for me to have those types of dreams. I didn't battle an evil wizard when I was one, I don't have a psychic connection to the most dark wizard to ever grave the planet. I'm just me, I'm normal."

"Okay, now I'm confused," Scorpius piped up. "What are you two blabbing on about?"

Rose glanced at Albus, then back to Scorpius, her eyebrows still furrowed monumentally.

"You know how Albus' dad defeated the Dark Lord when he was seventeen, right? The Second Wizard War?"

Scorpius nodded. "Everyone's heard of it, my father told me a few stories about it, too."

"Well, apparently Uncle Harry had a connection with Voldemort through their minds, because when Voldemort tried to kill Harry when he was a baby,the curse rebounded because of Lily Potter's love for her son. When it rebounded, a piece of Voldemort's soul latched into Uncle Harry, since he was the only living thing in sight, and so until Uncle Harry was killed, the piece of Voldemort's soul still lived in him.

"Because of this connection, Uncle Harry often had nightmares relating to Voldemort, and those nightmares were a lot of the time connected to what Voldemort was doing. For example, one time Uncle Harry had a dream about our Grandpa Arthur being attacked in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. As it turned out, it was Voldemort's snake that did the attacking, but because both the snake and Uncle Harry had pieces of Voldemort's soul in them, he was able to see the event happening.

"Eventually, Voldemort learned of the connection between himself and Uncle Harry, and he started manipulating Uncle Harry's dreams to see awful things, some real and some untrue events to get Uncle Harry paranoid or scared. He used the mind connection to lure Uncle Harry, my father, Uncle Neville, Aunt Luna, Aunt Ginny and my mum into the Department of Mysteries, because Voldemort made Uncle Harry believe that his godfather Sirius Black was in danger. There, they were greeted by your grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, and Uncle Harry was forced to hand over a prophecy that told the story of how the rivalry between Uncle Harry and Voldemort would end. It was also during that night that Sirius Black was killed."

"My father told me about that night," Scorpius mumbled, having the good grace to look ashamed.

"I figured he would," Rose replied. "Anyways, dreams and nightmares have always had a significance in this family, so I guess I'm just a little paranoid about the fact that Albus here is having unexplainable and confusing nightmares."

"So you thought Albus' mind was connected to that of an evil wizard, and that's why he couldn't explain what was happening?" Scorpius asked.

Rose nodded.

"Most eleven year olds have nightmares about failing tests, or maybe even of their parents being sucked into a tornado in a completely unrealistic turn of events. But not a lot of eleven year olds have nightmares about wandering down a dark hallway towards a flashing green light."

"Flashing green light?" Rose asked. Scorpius nodded in confirmation. "Curious."

Albus' head cocked in confusion. "Why is that curious, Rosie?"

Rose shook her head, like she was trying to clear thoughts from it. "It's just that, from what I've heard and read, when the Killing Curse is cast, the wand of the caster emits a bright green light. Like a flash."

Scorpius scoffed. "You think Albus was dreaming about being murdered?"

"No," Rose said, "but I do think that the two are somehow connected, and that this dream might be something that shouldn't be overlooked."

"I'd rather talk about something else now, please," Albus admitted, spooning some cereal into his mouth before taking a long gulp of pumpkin juice.

Truth be told, Albus didn't want to think about his dream. He didn't want to let his thoughts wander over to the countless stories his father used to tell him about his dreams and what they meant for his investigation during his fight against Voldemort. He didn't want to think about his mind somehow being connected to a villain, or his thoughts being shared by a crazy, homicidal wizard who was out for blood. He didn't want to think about that, he wanted his school years to go differently then his father's did.

Because Harry had been through too much in too short a period of time. He didn't want to think that his fate was similar. He wanted to be as normal as possible, and the dreams were making him anything but.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous one, but that's because I didn't want to put too much in this chapter. I prefer to leave this one as it is with the information we get.**

 **So Albus had a dream, and if you're a fan of the Harry Potter books (which, I highly doubt you aren't, since you chose to read a Harry Potter fanfiction) then you know the significance dreams have. Some mean something, and others don't, and I am hear to say right now, that I am not going to reveal whether the dream Albus had meant something or not. That in itself may have given it away, but I'm still not going to reveal anything.**

 **A few quick notes before I leave, if any of you read my story, "Fragments", then I am hear to tell you it is on a short hiatus because of everything that's been going on lately. I am, however, currently on my Spring Break, so I don't have to worry about school, so I might have more time to sit down and just write.**

 **Also, if any of you are reading my story, "Cold Ones", which is a Vampire Diaries story, that is also on hiatus due to lack of ideas. If anyone has any ideas on how I could continue that story, please feel free to read through it real quick and leave a review with an idea on how to keep the story going. Until I break free from my temporary writer's block, I don't want to half-ass anything and publish it, especially if I don't think it's a good idea.**

 **Lastly, as always, please, please, PLEASE leave a review telling me if you liked the chapter of it you have any notes or questions to ask me. I am up to answering any questions regarding any of my stories, and if you'd rather have a private conversation about a story or one shot, please feel free to PM me, as I have that open to all of the public to contact me about anything they need to ask or say to me.**

 **Thank you, and happy reading!**

 **-Clary**


	8. Battle of Hogwarts

Halloween came and went, and the students at Hogwarts continued their studies (Rose and Scorpius surpassing everyone's academic levels and Albus limping behind them struggling to maintain a measly A in any of his classes). November brought a chill to the air, which meant Scorpius had to bring out his extremely expensive coat to keep him warm. Not a day passed that Albus didn't take advantage of the fact that Scorpius had a coat because of his rich family, and he often spent hours of his time making fun if Scorpius for any one thing he did.

"He drives me insane," Scorpius had said to Rose after only a week of the taunting, "he's a menace, too!"

Rose had only shaken her head in response. "Honestly, if you're going to let something that trivial make you upset than what even is the point? Yes, Albus is irritating. We all know this. Now, if you don't mind I'd like to go over our latest Potions assignment because I don't think I have the mechanics right and you're the best at Potions among the three of us."

Scorpius had taken one look at Rose's essay and had ignored Albus for the rest of dinner that night.

Rose, Albus and Scorpius were sat in their History of Magic class, where Professor Binns had done nothing to improve his curriculum whatsoever, which usually caused all of his students, save one (guess who), to fall asleep. That particular day, however, they were learning about a topic that interested all of the eleven year olds. As the Ravenclaw first years walked into the class that they shared with Hufflepuff, they all began to chatter excitedly.

For what was written on the board, was the phrase, 'The Second Wizard War'.

Of course, Rose already knew so much about the wars, mainly because of her research and her mother, but she, for once, was not excited about the lesson. Neither were Albus and Scorpius. For one thing, they knew that all three of their parents would be mentioned, and that they would be painted in certain ways based on which side of the war they fought for. Albus only prayed that Binns wasn't biased about what happened in the war, because if he was, then it would leave Scorpius very upset, and then teasing him wouldn't be as fun.

"Now class," Binns began, and Albus, Rose and Scorpius all took their usual seats towards the back of the classroom. Not in the completely back row, but the one before it. "Today we will be learning about the Second Wizard War. Can anybody briefly describe what this war was about?"

Rose's hand shot up, and she was called on. "The general reason behind the war was the fact that a dark wizard, called the Dark Lord, wanted to find and destroy all muggle-born wizards, and some half-bloods as well."

"Correct, ten points to Ravenclaw. Now, can anyone tell me what else the Dark Lord was called? He went by many names, but there was one that people in the past were afraid to speak. What was it?"

This time, Scorpius raised his hands. "Lord Voldemort, sir."

Binns gave Ravenclaw ten more points and continued his lesson. "Now, Voldemort had spent a great chunk of his life with the ideals that muggle-borns and half-bloods were not truly magical beings. He believed the old pureblood prejudices against wizards of that kind."

"But sir, I read somewhere that Voldemort was a half-blood himself. Is that true?" June, who was sitting in the row in front of Albus, asked.

"That is correct, but in order to understand Voldemort's reasonings further, we have to go back to pureblood ideology. In your fourth year you will learn more about Voldemort's history and how it affected the war, but for now, we will be going over some basics. If you're comfortable answering the question, please do, how many of you are pureblood?"

Only a handful of people raised their hands. Out of the large class, Albus had expected more people to be pureblood, but he realized that more wizards had muggle blood in them than he had previously thought. Among the raised hands was Scorpius, Oliver, Henry, June, and Alice Longbottom, a Hufflepuff who sat a few seats away from Albus.

"This is a heritage you are allowed to be proud of, don't worry!" Binns was saying. "How many of you know the pureblood ideology that led to the discrimination that purebloods had against muggle-borns and half-bloods?"

All but one hands dropped. Scorpius' hand remained in the air. Albus knew that Scorpius' father had taught Scorpius a lot about the last and the war, but he didn't know that he had also taught Scorpius about pureblood traditions and beliefs. By the look on her face, Rose was also surprised. Scorpius was never the type to boast about his blood status and had never discriminated against anyone with whom he thought had a different blood status than him.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, care to indulge us?"

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Pureblood children were brought up to believe that muggle-born children stole the magic of other pureblood wizards to keep for themselves. This same tale is also why pureblood wizards believed that two pureblood parents could give birth to a Squib, because a muggle-born had stolen the magic of that child. This is something that I was warned against as a child, and not brought up to believe of revere."

"Excellent explanation, Mr. Malfoy, ten points to Ravenclaw, and such a lovely thing that Draco and Astoria do not encourage you to believe in such silly things. They truly have grown from their days at Hogwarts." At this comment, Scorpius flushed.

"Now, several families fought in this war for many different reasons. The Potters, for one, which include James, Lily and Ginny Potter, as well as the most famous wizard of our generation, Mr. Harry Potter himself!"

Many of the students in the classroom turned to look at Albus, and he began to feel uncomfortable under all the scrutiny he was receiving from his peers. He knew that this lesson was going to cause some people to look at him, but he never suspected that it would cause this much of a reaction. Yes, everyone knew Albus' father, and everyone knew that he practically saved the Wizard World from a mass destruction.

"Fighting alongside the Potters were families like the Weasley family, the Longbottoms, the Lupins, the Scamanders and many other students who were fourteen and older during the battle that brought Voldemort's downfall at the end of it; the Battle of Hogwarts."

Albus fought the shivers threatening to crawl up his spine. He remembered his father's eyes when that battle was mentioned, the fear and the sadness. Albus never wanted his children to look him in the eye and see that look, the pitiful look that got famous for it's lost innocence.

"Many lives were lost in this battle. But, of course, there's always another side to history. The Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, took on great numbers and seized the world with peril and fear."

Albus noticed Scorpius shifting uncomfortably, and saw that her as well was receiving stares. Though his were more harsh and unwelcoming rather than the awe and mystified eyes Albus received.

"Many rich, primarily pureblood families sided on this side during the war, whether it was because they supported Voldemort's beliefs or out of fear, it depends on the family. Some of these notable families include the Zabinis, the Parkninsons, the Goyles, the Blacks, save Sirius and Regulus Black, and above all, the Malfoys, who were probably the most devoted to Voldemort, even having their then sixteen year old son, Draco Malfoy, take the Dark Mark, which was the Death Eater's identification, and become a Death Eater. Draco Malfoy was also the youngest Death Eater to ever walk the earth."

Albus was starting to get embarrassed for Scorpius. Here he was, complaining about everyone idolizing his father, when he hadn't even stopped to ponder how Scorpius must have been feeling, having his family being ridiculed and torn apart just because of some history that occurred more than twenty years before.

"However, during the war, the Malfoys, particularly the youngest, began to fight for the Light Side when the time came for actual battle, and when the second half of the battle commenced, they actually fled, not wanting to get involved in the fight. I would do the same if I could, honestly. The Malfoys ended up showing great courage during the war, and have done a great deed in helping the Wizard World rebuild itself in the aftermath if the war."

Albus had a feeling that Binns lingered on Scorpius' family longer than the rest for Scorpius' benefit, rather than the benefit of the class, who had begun to grow disinterested in glaring at Scorpius for his ancestors' deeds in the warm and were content to just sit back and enjoy the lesson, which was actually proving to be a lot more boring than Albus originally thought it was going to be.

"Anyhow, now I'm going to rewind back to the ancient days, where it is said that the first muggle-born wizard was ever born..."

The class groaned, almost in unison. History of Magic was never going to be an easy feat, not until Binns retired from his position and let a younger, fresher professor take over.

* * *

"Hey, Albus!"

Albus slowed to a stop, letting Scorpius and Rose keep walking, and turned around to see James and Fred walking along the hallway, a strut in their step. Albus fought back a groan as he thought of the beautifully boring conversation Rose and Scorpius were having over the affects of rose petals in certain potions, and how he would much rather be in that one then the one that was about to take place.

Since Albus had gotten into Hogwarts and was Sorted into a house other than Gryffindor, James and Albus hadn't really found the time to see each other. Not that Albus was complaining, he never really got along with his brother that great, but it was a little disappointing when he was walking down the hall and passed by James and wasn't able to say hi to him, mainly because of the posse James had created around himself.

"Hey, James. How are things?" Albus asked, wanting to be polite but really wishing he was back in the common room.

"Alright for a second year. Wait until next year in Transfiguration when you have to learn about changing living creatures into inanimate objects."

Albus nodded along and James signaled to Fred, probably to tell him to leave the two brothers alone, as Fred nodded in response and turned the corner, walking away to give the two some privacy.

"How are things with you, Al? I haven't talked to you in ages."

Albus figured that much was true, and wondered if he should tell James about the dream. James had heard a lot more of dad's stories than he had due to the fact that he asked about it more, and he might be able to help.

Albus decided against it. He could figure it out himself.

"I've actually been doing pretty well. Other than the fact that I have to stop cheating off of Scorpius and Rose during tests because that isn't going to help me during final exams."

James flinched slightly at the mention of Scorpius, but made no further comment on it. Instead, he laughed. "Yeah, for me and Fred, we mooched off of Louis for as long as we could before he noticed and almost murdered the both of us."

Albus realized he liked that, when James and him had something in common to joke about. Too often had conversations between the two of them dwindled away from awkward silence because they ran out of things to say, and Albus was noticing that the two had more to speak with each other about now.

"Hey, why didn't you go for Quidditch this year? You'd have made a hell of a Chaser and we both know it."

James' expression was one of pure curiousness, but Albus found himself irritated. Of course James would steer he conversation into a topic that only he truly cared about. It wasn't that Albus didn't enjoy Quidditch, because he did. Ravenclaw was currently in second place for the Quidditch Cup, and he watched every game. It was just that he didn't talk about it all the time, and there was a reason why he had never bonded with James over it.

Nevertheless, he played along.

"I know that you made the team in your first year, James, but I don't want to have too much on my plate at one time. I need to ease into Hogwarts, I'm not like you. I can't just jump in head first and not worry about the temperature. I'd rather test the waters first, then see if it's something I can get into," was Albus' response.

James looked thoughtful. "You're sounding a lot smarter now that you're in Ravenclaw."

"That's a bit stereotypical," Albus laughed.

James chuckled in response, then clapped Albus' shoulder. The two met for a brief hug, before pulling away and smiling at one another. Albus' mood had brightened significantly, which wasn't what he was planning on having happened, so he was very pleased.

As James was walking away, Albus wondered again if he should have told his older brother about his cryptic dream. James, though the classwasn't offered to him yet, had a deep and odd interest in Divination, and therefore knew a lot about dreams. Albus realized that maybe James should have been informed about it, then shook it off, saying to himself that he could tell him the next time he saw James, ignoring the mean voice in his head telling him that he might not ever have a civil conversation with his older brother like that.

As Albus returned to his common room, he thought about the dream some more, and how odd it was that it was this vivid in his head. He could see every frame clearly and it was stunningly detailed in his memory.

Because another odd thing about Albus, was that he never remembered the dreams he dreamt at night. 

* * *

**A/N: Hello and, can I just say, I am so sorry for the delay! I was on Spring Break last week and I thought that that would greatly help my work ethic for this story, especially since it was a week for me to be by myself and think, but it turned out to be the opposite. As it turned out, my family wanted me to spend time with them? What? Has anyone even heard of such a thing? The point is that I am extremely sorry for delaying this update, since I had the majority of it finished a few days ago, I just needed to make some finishing touches.**

 **On another note, I'd like to say that my other story, Fragments, is still temporarily on hold, in case any of you were reading that, and I will try to continue that the second more ideas pop into my head.**

 **Finally, a thank you to all who are still reading. Fear not! The next chapter is in the works as we speak!**

 **\- Clary**


	9. Recurring Nightmares

_Albus gasped and awoke once more, his eyes darting back and forth towards more and more darkness. No matter where he turned, pitch black, as if the world had a light switch and it was turned off. He sat up slowly, ignoring the dizzy feeling in his head, and stood up, his feet cold against the hard tile._

 _Barefoot, Albus made his way down the hall, his hand grazing the rough stone wall as he did so. Keeping his eyes open, despite the pitch blackness, Albus was able to maneuver down the hall. Something about the setting seemed familiar, and he found himself filling with dread over something he seemed to know as about to happen, though he couldn't remember what it was._

 _Albus took another step, and suddenly a few lights began flickering to life, creaking and groaning from their place on the ceiling. He took a few more steps, and the lights flickered again._

 _A few more, and the lights switched on._

 _Suddenly, a raging, hoarse cry broke out, and Albus jumped as goosebumps spread across his arms and back. He crept stealthily down the hallway, and jumped again when a shadowed figure appeared at the apparent end of the hallway, just twenty feet away._

 _"Hello?" Albus called, hoping to get some information from the figure before something went wrong. In his core he knew something terrible was about to happen, and he wanted to be ready for it, whatever it was. "Hello? Who are you?"_

 _The figure remained silent, but seemed to be rummaging around for something. Albus took a few more steps, and tried again._

 _"Hello, can you hear me? Who are you? Where am I? What's happening?"_

 _Again, the figure did not say a word, but Albus was able to identify what it was rummaging for. A wand. It gleamed lightly in the dim lighting, but Albus saw it. The figure was holding a wand, and seemed to be about to do something with it._

 _"What's happening?" Albus tried one more time, before the figure suddenly made a mad dash at him. Albus cried out as the figure clamped a hand around his throat and shoved him against the wall, fingernails digging into his skin. Albus felt the tip of the man's wand poking him in the neck._

 _"No one can save you, Albus Severus Potter," the figure spat._

 _The last thing he saw before everything went black was a bright flash of green light._

* * *

A terrified, choked cry sounded around the common room, and Albus jerked awake, still screaming, his throat raw and head aching just behind his eyes. He hurriedly rid himself of the bunched up comforter resting on top of him, as his body was burning up, his skin red with a fever.

"Albus! Al! Albus! Calm down, mate! It was just another dream!" Albus registered Scorpious' voice, but he couldn't say a word. He couldn't think, he couldn't even see anything other than a bright green light flashing in and out of his vision.

"I can't, it wasn't a dream it was a nightmare! I can't calm down, he's going to kill me, I'm going to die, I'm-"

"Albus, stop!" Scorpious tried again, but Albus screamed again in response, raking his fingers through his hair and pulling tightly on the strands, sighing as the pain behind his eyes eased up as it refocused itself on his scalp.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die," he continued, saying it as it if we're some sort of chant, rocking back and forth on the bed and wrapping his arms tightly around his legs, pulling his knees to his chin. Albus sobbed openly as Scorpius sat, seemingly unable to do anything to comfort his friend, and his other roommates looked on in mild discomfort.

"I'm back!"

Albus jerked to find Rose bursting into the dormitory, Professor Flitwick and Headmistress Mcgonagall hot on his heels. Albus' eyes widened and he jerked away from Scorpius, who had just been about to reach out for him, and cried out in agony.

"No! Please, I'm fine! Please don't take me anywhere, please just let me sleep, please just let me sleep, please! Let me sleep, let me sleep, sleep!"

Scorpius turned to his friend, shock lacing his expression. He was terrified, to say the least, but he couldn't let Albus know that, or he might have another fit and burst out again. Rose and the professors at the door didn't know what to do, Scorpius could see it on their faces, and his worry only grew. Was he wrong to get Rose and inform her of what was happening? Nightmares had never lead to anything good in the Potter family, so Scorpius knew in the back of his mind that getting faculty involved was a wise decision, but still, he doubted. Scorpius only wanted his friends safe, they were few and very sacred to him. He didn't want anything happening to the people he cared about, ever.

"Albus, dear, we need you to calm down, maybe focus on your breathing a little, bit you must calm down. It is imperative that you calm down so you can tell us what happened," the Headmistress said as she slowly neared the bed. She didn't want any sudden movements to frighten the young boy.

"What happened?! I can't tell you what happened! It was horrifying, being in that room, that man, he tried to kill me, and I almost let him, but I woke up before he could... There was green, bright green everywhere and I couldn't do a thing to stop it!"

Both Rose and Mcgonagall had come to join Albus and Scorpius on the bed, while Professor Flitwick ushered the other students out of the dormitory. Scorpius immediately gravitated towards Rose, allowing the adult to handle the situation better. The two wrapped their arms around each other and looked on worriedly as Mcgonagall tried to assess Albus' source of fright.

"What man, Albus? Who was the man who was trying to kill you?" The Headmistress' voice was unnervingly calm, and Albus wanted nothing more than to scream and yell once more, until his throat was hoarse and he couldn't speak another word about his dream.

"He was cloaked, I couldn't see him. But it was a man, I could tell because of how deep his voice was. He got so close to my face, he had his wand to my throat. He was so angry at me."

Mcgonagall sighed and closed her eyes, her worry lines creasing even more. Scorpius and Rose unwrapped themselves from each other, but still stood near each other, shaking and afraid for their friend.

"Headmistress?" Rose finally asked, her voice cracking three times before she got the word out.

"Yes, dear?" Mcgonagall said, looking at the two students and wondering if she was every going to catch a break.

"What's going to happen now?"

Headmistress Mcgonagall signed again, something she seemed to be doing a lot of, and finally uttered,

"I think it's time we get Albus' parents involved in this."

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I know you probably didn't miss me, but for those who did, may I just say how sorry I am.**

 **No wait, it will never be enough to make up for being absent for one, two, three...oh yes, FIVE MONTHS!**

 **But wait, didn't I say I was going to start updating regularly because Spring Break was upon me? Well, I got oddly busy and couldn't update. But then school ended, and summer basked me in all its glory...but I still didn't update. I've had a lot of personal and family issues in the last few months, and now I know not to make any promises. So no, I will not say I am back for good, the only thing I can say is, I will try to update as regularly as I can.**

 **Sorry if this chapter is too short for your liking, but I threw this together last minute so you'd have something to read from me. Again, my apologies for disappearing for five months. Thank you to those who actually might have noticed.**

 **P.S. A couple of announcements before I leave.**

 **For those of you who might've checked out my other stories, you might notice that two are missing. I have discontinued both Cold Ones and Fragments, and rather than just post a note I the summary saying I discontinued the stories and bask in the shame of never finishing a project I started, I instead did the mature thing...and erased them both from existence. What a grown-up I am, truly.**

 **So yes, to anyone who might've actually cared and/or noticed at all, I am sorry if you enjoyed reading either of those stories. It just wasn't working out. I have too many things on my plate already, without adding another two books to the mix. I'd rather just work whole-heartedly on this one rather than distract myself with other books and only out minimal effort into this one. This book went up first, therefore, it is my baby, and I will treat it as such.**

 **Again, my apologies, and thank you to anyone still reading he trash I post randomly on the Internet for all to read and mock.**

 **~Clary.**


	10. Tell the Truth

Albus was lead blindly down the halls of the castle, sharp turns and quick bounds down the stairs were the only things to alert him to the fact that he was moving at all. He seemed to be maneuvering as dully as he had in the very first dream he had.

No, nightmare. What he was experiencing were certainly nightmares.

McGonagall finally reached her office, tugging Albus up the stairs with a bony hand wrapped around his thin wrist. Albus tripped and almost slammed his face into the concrete, if not for the momentum of his fall pushing McGonagall into action and levitating him before that could happen, righting him, and continuing on their journey up the stairs.

McGonagall whispered the password hurriedly, and the two stepped inside. Albus didn't have time to think before he witnessed the Headmistress submerge her head in open flames.

Before Albus could think to scream, the fire was turning green, and suddenly McGonagall was shouting into it.

"Harry! Ginerva! Wake up! This is urgent! Please, wake up! Oh! I'm terribly sorry, Lily, but would you be so kind as to alert your father that-Oh! Harry! Please Floo here as quickly as possible, there's an urgent matter concerning your son. Yes, Albus. Thank you, Harry, I'll be seeing you shortly."

McGonagall stepped away from the flames and stood up. Albus pretended not to hear the rattling sound her spine seemed to make as it straightened itself out. It was the least he could do for waking her up in the middle of the night to save her some dignity.

Moments later, Harry appeared in the fire, still in his pajamas and familiar bedhead that Albus missed dearly. "What's the urgent matter, Professor?" he asked, his voice breathless and rushed.

McGonagall turned to Albus. "I'm sure your son would love to explain the troubles of his thoughts that have been plaguing him lately. I was awoken a few minutes ago by Rose Weasley, saying that Albus was suffering from another nightmare. Naturally, I was confused. What did she mean by another? I returned with her to the Ravenclaw dormitories, where I saw a distressed and exhausted Scorpius attempting to wake a screaming and crying Albus up."

After hearing the explanation, Harry turned ashen. He turned to his son, and Albus felt too much weight in the gaze his father held. "What's going on, Al?"

Albus knew he couldn't hide anything. He couldn't even make it out as if this were the only nightmare, because Rose had already given it away to McGonagall that it was another one. An irrational part of Albus' brain through scorn at his cousin for doing that, but inside he knew she was not at fault. This was something he needed to discuss with his father anyway. Albus made his way to one of the chairs at McGonagall's desk, and the two adults followed suit, Harry sitting next to Albus and McGonagall sitting in her chair on the other side.

"Lately, I've been having these nightmares," Albus started, and he told them everything. What the first one felt like, how scared he was that there was something wrong with him, his fear that the Dark Lord was returning somehow and implanting thoughts and dreams in his mind, like he had done years before to Harry. His fears that Rose and Scorpius would only be dragged into his mess, and that he couldn't do anything to stop the dreams or help himself.

Throughout, there were various stages of emotions flittering across Albus' father's face. He saw, shock, confusion, worry, but most importantly to Albus, anger. Albus' understanding was that, if his father was, at anytime, angry for any reason, he should steer clear. As an adult, Harry had developed the keen sense of controlling his emotions. If Harry was angry, then it did not bode well for Albus.

"So," Harry began when Albus finished his explanation of the night's events, "you're saying you've been having these horrid nightmares for weeks and you haven't told anyone?"

"I told Rose and Scorpius," was Albus' quick reply.

Harry's nostrils flared. "Because Scorpius was the one who work you up every time!"

McGonagall decided then was the moment she should intervene, and she said, "I do not think we should place Albus on trial, Mr. Potter. He clearly has been through some traumatic events. Let us simply find a solution to this matter."

Harry grumbled, but otherwise stayed quiet, for which Albus was grateful.

"What do you propose as a solution, Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall after a few moments spent for everyone to collect themselves. "How should we proceed?"

Albus didn't have time to interject, to say that, since it was his brain making up all the trouble, he should bear the consequences and think up a solution on his own. Harry spoke quickly, with such a certainty that stunned Albus. "I believe Albus should start taking a Dreamless Sleep Draught to help quell his nightmares."

McGonagall pursed her lips in thought. "A valid idea. Albus, thoughts?"

Albus jerked out of his mental state, surprised to be included. "Headmistress?" he asked in clarification.

"Do you believe the Dreamless Sleep Draught is a good idea?" McGonagall repeated, staring Albus down with a look that could almost be construed as amused, if Albus hadn't known better.

"Uh," Albus stuttered, "I get to choose?"

Harry looked at his son with a grim expression. "These are your nightmares. We're certain they can't have come from Voldemort, so they're clearly not the same as mine. I believe you, unlike me, should gave some influence in the decision being made about your own mental well-being. If you do not want to take a Dreamless Sleep Draught every night to ease your nightmares, then you can say so. You are as much a part of this decision as Professor McGonagall and I."

Albus could only nod. "In that case," he declared triumphantly, grateful to have a say, "I want to take the potion. I'm sick of these nightmares, they're like pests that won't leave my mind. I need peace."

Harry nodded. "Very well," McGonagall said, "we shall visit Madame Pomfrey right now. I've already sent her an owl, as I wished to take you to get examined by her anyhow, regardless of how this conversation went, but the Dreamless Sleep Draught will do."

McGonagall then left her office, likely to give Harry and Albus some time to spend together. Albus looked at his father, fear clearly etched onto his face, and Harry cupped his son's face in his hands.

"Al," he said warmly, "why are you afraid?"

"I dunno," Albus responded lamely. He shrugged for extra effect.

Harry could only laugh at his son's antics. "You know, you remind me a lot more of myself than I thought you would. You are exactly what I imagine myself being had I not been the _Boy Who Lived_." He said the last part mockingly, always poking fun at the dramatic title the wizard world had given him.

"You're going to be fine, Al," Harry said, his tone so severely serious that Albus had to pause and soak it in. "You hear me? Absolutely fine."

Albus nodded. "I know, dad. I know."

The two stood up, and Harry pulled Albus in for a fierce hug, one that nearly crushed the life out of Albus, if he had not been basking in the relief and happiness he felt in that moment. A hug from his father was like an angel giving him Her blessing. Albus knew that, if his father kept hugging him this way, then everything would be just fine.

McGonagall stepped back in. "If you two are finished, I'd like to take you to the Hospital Wing now, Mr. Potter."

Harry released Albus and patted his shoulder in camaraderie. Albus left to follow McGonagall out of her office while Harry stepped into the green flames, shouting for home.

The walk to the Hospital Wing was awkwardly quiet, just as it had been on the way to McGonagall's office. Albus couldn't imagine attempting small talk after the conversation that just took place in her office.

When they reached the Hospital Wing, McGonagall paused as her hand reached for the door handle. "It's a fickle thing," she said quietly, so Albus had to strain to hear her, "being in control of your mind. Such a waste, that we take for granted that beautiful opportunity. I envy those who appreciate their minds at each moment of the day."

She then turned to face Albus, who was standing next to her in confusion. "We will get your mind sorted out, Mr. Potter, so that one day, you will appreciate being in control of it."

"Yes, Headmistress," Albus mumbled.

McGonagall nodded curtly, then flung the Hospital Wing's doors open, strutting to the back of the building where Madame Pomfrey already stood, a bag sitting on the table next to her. Madame Pomfrey was wringing her hands together in a nervous gesture, and Albus mentally braced himself.

"Headmistress," Madame Pomfrey said sullenly, "I only had enough Dreamless Sleep on hand to produce enough vials for the rest of the month. I'll concoct more, and young Mr. Potter here will have to come in once a month to receive his vials. If that suits you, Mr. Potter?"

"That suits me fine, Madame Pomfrey, thank you," Albus said, trying to remain polite as his nerves dialed upwards.

After Albus took the bag from Madame Pomfrey, he and McGonagall left the Hospital Wing, and she escorted him back to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"I hope the res of your night is not filled with nightmares, Mr. Potter," McGonagall remarked almost dryly.

Nevertheless, Albus responded with a cheery, "thank you, Headmistress!" But when Albus turned to look at her, he found she was already walking away.

 **Lmao...surprise.**

 **I guess I'm back or whatever, so I believe this means an apology is an order. Perhaps. Anyways, I apologize for disappearing for over two years. I don't even know if Harry Potter fanfiction is even still popular, but I'm still reading it, so I'm going to continue writing it.**

 **To make a long story short, I'm going to be updating regularly now, and I hope people still want to read this terrible story.**

 **-Clary**


	11. Was It Enough?

"I've not thought about whether or not it would be enjoyable to me to watch as precisely five million red-headed goons run amuck a house too small. No. I can't say I've thought about that at all."

"Rose rolled her eyes at Scorpius' tone, but Albus simply laughed. Truly, if Scorpius spent even one minute inside the Burrow during Christmastime, he'd know just how correct his sarcasm actually was. Nevertheless, Albus and his cousin continued to pester.

"But, Scorpius! How are we to remain as close as we are if you don't meet us halfway the way we do for you?" Rose asked, her voice pleading, her eyes wide and soft.

Albus leaned to his left, where Scorpius sat. "This is a manipulation tactic. Forewarning."

"I hadn't caught that myself, Albus, thanks," was the blond's dry reply.

"Rose, across from the two, rolled her eyes again. Scorpius leaned towards Albus this time, loudly whispering, "I'm afraid her eyes are going to get stuck in her sockets, and one day we'll have to pry them out. Do you share that fear?"

"Unfortunately."

"Boys!"

Albus and Scorpius looked back over at Rose, who was red and fuming, with innocent looks on their faces. After a few moments, Rose cracked and smiled, joining in on the fun, as it usually happened. She could only hold out for so long with the two of them acting this way.

"Scorpius, Potter-Weasley family holidays are always big, bright, and fun for everyone involved. It's in your best interest to ask your parents if you can come visit over the holidays," Rose explained matter-of-factly, her head nodding in a quick jerk at the end for emphasis.

The blond sighed and seemed to sink into himself. "Even if everyone in your family agrees to have me over, I highly doubt my parents would agree. They're oddly protective of where I go."

A lightbulb mysteriously went off in Albus' brain.

"Our entire family doesn't have to approve, just my parents," he began. "And my dad already said you could stay over a few days out of the holiday break, even New Year's if your parents allowed it, so the only convincing that needs to be done is you to ask your parents, and your parents to allow you to go!"

Scorpius arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Rose took this as a cue to keep the ball rolling and continue talking.

"Honestly, Scorpius, this entire situation is borderline ridiculous. Our family may have issues with yours, but no one is going to say anything bad against you or your family behind your back, and certainly not in front of you. They'll make jokes, but they're civilized people. They are not mean-spirited."

Rose's tone of determination coupled with the elbow jabs Albus delivered Scorpius' side in meticulous intervals were probably the deciding influencers in the Malfoy boy's decision making. That, and his desire to spend time with the only two friends he had made at Hogwarts since the first train ride to the grounds. They would probably be his only two as well, and Scorpius knew it would be important to maintain those friendships in any way he could.

"Scorpius?" Albus' face was full of hope as he probed his friend, trying to convince him to consider all of his options.

The blond sighed. "Oh…" he trailed off, and both Albus and Rose leaned towards him in a sort of creepy unison. "Alright! I'll send an owl after Potions!"

Rose and Albus cheered, and it filled Scorpius with a warmth he hadn't known before he felt it, but one he knew he would do almost anything to feel again. Scorpius' devotion to the cousins grew as the days went by, and this was a moment he knew he would never forget as long as he lived to recollect his finest memories.

"Now that that's settled," Rose was saying in the meantime, "we need to finish breakfast and get to Potions. If Professor Zabini has anything to say about the three of us by the end of the term, it won't be on the topic of our tardiness! Let's go!"

The three rushed to Potions, barely getting both feet in the door before Zabini started the lesson, a menial textbook assignment that had the class groaning.

"I get it, okay? Trust me," Zabini almost smirked, "but the reading helps you understand, overall, why we brew the potions we do, so just finish the reading. Got it?"

As a hush fell over the class, Albus' mind wandered, something that was never a good sign. He thought back past the previous few weeks, and how much better his sleeping had gotten now that he had begun taking the Dreamless Sleep Draught. The logistics started swimming through his head. Obviously, Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall knew he was taking it, and Zabini as well, since someone had to brew it for them. Unless Pomfrey brewed it herself. But then again, why would the only staff member in the Hospital Wing take valuable time out of her day and/or night simply to brew an eleven year old with nightmares a potion?

Then Albus started thinking darker. He wasn't just an eleven year old boy with nightmares, was he? He was the son of Harry Potter, notorious for his dreams that were sent to him, either purposefully or accidentally, by the Dark Lord. Dreams that, ultimately, aided in the Final Battle and the defeat of the Dark Lord. Albus knew there was no way his dreams would ever hold that much significance, but still and yet, the thought was terrifying.

And what would become of him if that were the case? Would he become like his father, on the run during his last year of school, never to return, only to secure a spot as one of the most famous wizards in all of history? There was already a famous Albus, and his contribution to the Wizard World was a large one, so Albus didn't think much on that thought. Would he be forced to deal with a dark wizard equivalent to something like the Dark Lord? Would his father allow him to fight that fight alone, or would he rejoin the noble cause, and not let his young son bear the burden he had when he was the same age?

Again, Albus knew he was stretching, but in times of boredom, he needed something to fulfill his wandering thoughts.

Albus thought of Rose and Scorpius, and their loyalty both to each other and him, their three-way friendship so strong in such a short amount of time. What would happen to them if his dreams were something bigger than anyone could ever fathom?

Was it enough? To simply take the Dreamless Sleep Draught, to sleep "peacefully" with no nightmares whatsoever? Did it cure what it was meant to cure?

Or was he worse off now than he ever had been in his entire life?

* * *

A quick update before I truly dive back into the story. I've just outline essentially the rest of this book, so I'm very excited to continue developing the story and the mystery surrounding Albus' nightmares. Christmas chapters are coming soon (despite it being April) and with it the expected family drama!


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